The Role Of Women In Medea

“A time comes when the female sex is honored” (29). In the history of ancient civilization, the roles of male figures seem to override the female counterpart in the social strata. Even in modern times, widely accepted premises distinguish womanhood as being composed of child-bearers and caretakers, dependent on the male head of the household. In the play Medea, Euripides challenges the cultural beliefs of women’s role in Athens, Greece through his characterization of Medea; moreover, her pursuit to revolutionize the way women are treated by men begins with Jason and comes to effect the Chorus of the Corinthian women. Medea constructs a plan of action based on her fervent emotions. She implements control in her life, even by sacrificing everything in her possession; consequently, she defies the instituted mannerisms for the women of ancient Greece as they do not have autonomy over their lives because they are granted a free will that falls far inferior to the Grecian males’.

Medea first acknowledges an injustice to women in her outcries to the daughter of Zeus, in which the

While the hesitant king is taken aback by her recent episode, she suggests, “So, you, Creon, are afraid-of what? Some harm that I might do to you? Don’t let me alarm you, Creon. I’m in no position-A woman-to wrong a king” (26). Euripides showcases Medea’s cunning ability as she plays on the conventional role of Grecian women to get an extended time length in Corinth. He develops Medea’s character as a self-empowered feminist; she continues seeking out revenge after being left with no support from a male character, or the country presently encounters these obstacles